Machine for automatically fitting insulating caps on connecting clips

ABSTRACT

A machine adapted to fit caps or sheaths on electric connecting clips wherein a carriage fed with caps or sheaths and a forked member reciprocate along a common path, while a casing constituted by superposed jaws receives the clips between its jaws. The jaws being first opened and then closed over a clip, the forked member holds said clip fast against longitudinal movement to allow the carriage to move forwardly and to fit the cap carried by it over the clip. This being done, the different parts separate and release the capped strip which is conveyed out of the machine.

United States Patent [191 [111 3,758,936

Frisiani Sept. 18, 1973 [54] MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY 3,402,452 9/1968 Mraz 29/203 D FITTING INSULATING CAPS ON 3,570,097 3/l97l Bowden, Jr. et al 29/203 D CONNECTING CLIPS Attilio Frisiani, Champareillan, France Inventor:

Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 2], i971 France 7114096 US. Cl. 29/203 D Int. Cl H011- 43/04 Field of Search 29/203 D, 203 D0,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1967 Schwalm 29/203 D X Primary Examiner-Thomas H. Eager Attorney-Pierce, Scheffler & Parker [57] ABSTRACT A machine adapted to fit caps or sheaths on electric connecting clips wherein a carriage fed with caps or sheaths and a forked member reciprocate along a common path, while a casing constituted by superposed jaws receives the clips between its jaws. The jaws being first opened and then closed over a clip, the forked member holds said clip fast against longitudinal movement to allow the carriage to move forwardly and to fit the cap carried by it over the clip. This being done, the different parts separate and release the capped strip which is conveyed out of the machine.

5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEB SH! a [915 SHEEI 1 BF 2 MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY FITTING INSULATING CAPS ON CONNECTING CLIPS The present invention has for its object a machine for automatically laying insulating caps on electric connecting clips.

Electric connections are frequently executed by means of clips crimped over or welded through one end to the electric leads while their other end is shaped, so as to form connecting sockets. Such clips are generally covered throughout their length by a protecting and insulating sheath or cap.

During manufacture, the clips are secured to the leads in a first stage followed by the fitting of the caps,

generally by hand. The operation is sometimes semiautomatic, the caps being fed by an automatic distributor to an assistant who drives the clips by hand into the caps thus fed by the distributor.

My invention has for its object a machine adapted to execute such an operation in an entirely automatic manner,both the clips and the caps being suppliedto the machine which provides for their automatic assembly at a high speed.

According to my invention, my improved machine includes a carriage to be fed with caps, a casing secured at one end to the carriage and adapted to be fed with clips, a forked member adapted to slide inside the casing and the tines of which engage through their outer ends the tail-pieces of the sockets in the clip and means for shifting the carriage and the forked member in opposite directions so that the clip may be inserted inside the cap while the forked member is removed. 1

The carriage is fed with caps through any suitable means such as a vibrating bowl provided with a capfeeding spout.

The clips are also fed into the casing by any suitable means such as a kinematic chain. The movements of the different parts of the machine may be controlled by electric, mechanical, pneumatic or the like means or by a combination of the latter, for instance by a doubleacting jack actuated by an electrically operated valve.

Preferably, the casing is constituted by two jaws adapted to be urged apart so as to allow the positioning of a clip between them and to be thereafter shifted back towards each other so as to ensure the guiding of the clip during the relative movement of the forked member with reference to the carriage.

Preferably also, the size of the casing is chosen so as to allow the clips to slide inside it while the caps abut against the opening of the casing and are thus prevented from moving.

Elastic means hold at least one of the casing jaws in a position abutting against the carriage during the rela-' tive movement of the forked member with reference to the carriage. I

The relative movements of the casing with reference to the forked member are controlled by one or more cams or sloping surfaces which begin acting after the jaws forming the casing have been urged into engagement.

The accompanying drawings illustrate by way of example a preferred embodiment of a machine according to my invention. In said drawings FIG. I is a vertical cross-section along different planes passing through the main parts of the machine.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of the machine.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of said parts when assembled for operation.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a modified embodiment of the jaws illustrated in FIG. 2.

Turning to the drawings, it is apparent that my improved machine includes a carriage 1 fed with insulating caps 2 through any suitable means such as the spout 3 (FIG. 2). The caps are in the general shape of tubular elements having a rectangular cross-section. The end of the carriage 1 lies adjacent a casing constituted by a lower jaw'4 and an upper jaw 5, the gap between which is fed with clips such as 6 through any suitable means,

.not illustrated, such as a kinematic chain controlled by an electrically actuated valve. At the beginning of each cycle the clip is fed into the lower jaw 4 of the casing which rests on the frame 7 of the machine, after which the upper jaw 5 is lowered so as to rest on the jaw 4. During this movement the forked member 8 is also inserted between the jaws with its tines 9 and 10 extending to either side of the tail pieces 26 at the rear of the wire-securing sockets l1 and 12 of the clip 6.

The upper jaw 5 is carried by a standard 13 vertically sliding inside a stationarycross-bar 14, and a movable cross-bar 15, said standard being permanently urged downwardly by one'or more springs 15 and it moves downwardly together with the crossbar 15 upon actuation of the jack 17 until it abuts against the lower jaw On the other hand, the jaw 5 may slide horizontally with reference to the standard 13 carrying it and'it is constantly urged by the spring 18 in a horizontal direction towards the carriage 1 against which it abuts when in its lowermost position. During the downward movementof the jaw 5, the lever 19 pivotally secured to the stationary cross-bar 14 is urged outwardly by the rollers 20 and 20 carried by the movable cross-bar l5 and between which said lever 19 extends. This pivotal movementof the lever 19 causes the forked member 8 to move towards the carriage 1 until it engages the clip 6. As the cross-bar l5 continues sinking, the sloping surface 21 formed on a member rigid with said crossbar engages a roller 22 on the carriage 1 so as to urge the latter against the forked member 8. The carriage 1. thus shifts the jaws-4 and 5 of the casing between which the clip 6, held in position by the tines 9 and 10 of the forked member 8, now slides with reference to the carriage. This ensures the fitting of a cap 2 over the clip 6.

The cross-bar l5 rises then while the carriage l is returned into its starting position by the spring 23 and the forked member is also returned to its starting position by the lever 19 and releases the cap which is still held fast within the casing 4-5. During a first stage, the lower jaw 4 is urged back in unison with the carriage through the sliding connection 24 while the upper jaw is similarly returned by the spring 18. During a second stage, the upper jaw 5 rises and releases the capped .clip which is now fed by the kinematic chain in the direction followed by the latter, that is perpendicularly to the plane of FIG. 1. A further operative cycle may then be started.

' According to the modification illustrated in FIG. 4, a centering member may be provided, for instance in the medial section of the jaw 5, the sloping surfaces of of the type illustrated in the French Patent Specification No. 1,487,487 filed on May 27, 1966 by Etablissements Proner. In such a case, the cap being provided with elastic locking means, the machine may be adjusted in a manner such as to prevent an incomplete capping or sheathing. If the cap is not actually locked in position over the clip, the carriage returns the cap into its starting position and the clip remains noncapped.

What I claim is 1 l. A machine for automatically fitting caps and sheaths on electric connecting clips provided with sockets, said machine comprising a reciprocatory carriage, means adapted to feed caps to the carriage, a casing adjacent one end of the carriage, means feeding clips to said carriage, a'forked member slidingly extending into the end of the casing facing away from the carriage, adapted to reciprocate in the direction defined by the reciprocation of the carriage and including tines adapted to engage the opposite sides of the clip and to abut against the tail-ends of the clip sockets and means controlling the movements of the carriage and of the forked member towards each other in order to fit the cap on the carriage over the clip engaged by the forked I member inside the casing, last-mentioned means shifting the forked member away from the carriage after said fitting of the cap. t

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the casing includes two jaws adapted to be separated for'insertion of a clip therebetween and to be shifted back into cooperation for guiding the clip between the carriage and the forked member during the relative movements of the latter.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1', including elastic means urging at least one of the casing jaws towards the carriage to make it move in unison with the latter during relative movements of the carriage with reference to the forked member.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the casing includes two jaws adapted to be separated for insertion of a clip therebetween and to be shifted back into cooperation for guiding the clip between the carriage andthe forked member during the relative movements of the latter, said machine including furthermore at least cam surface adapted to shift the carriage with reference to the forked member after the jaws have returned into cooperation.

5. A machine as claimed in'claim 1, wherein the casing includes two jaws adapted to beseparated for insertion of a clip therebetween and to be shifted back into cooperation for guiding the clip between the carriage and the forked member during the relative movements of the latter, said machine including furthermore a-centering member fitted inside one jaw and provided with sloping surfaces adapted to center the clips inside said jaw. I 

1. A machine for automatically fitting caps and sheaths on electric connecting clips provided with sockets, said machine comprising a reciprocatory carriage, means adapted to feed caps to the carriage, a casing adjacent one end of the carriage, means feeding clips to said carriage, a forked member slidingly extending into the end of the casing facing away from the carriage, adapted to reciprocate in the direction defined by the reciprocation of the carriage and including tines adapted to engage the opposite sides of the clip and to abut against the tail-ends of the clip sockets and means controlling the movements of the carriage and of the forked member towards each other in order to fit the cap on the carriage over the clip engaged by the forked member inside the casing, last-mentioned means shifting the forked member away from the carriage after said fitting of the cap.
 2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the casing includes two jaws adapted to be separated for insertion of a clip therebetween and to be shifted back into cooperation for guiding the clip between the carriage and the forked member during the relative movements of the latter.
 3. A machine as claimed in claim 1, including elastic means urging at least one of the casing jaws towards the carriage to make it move in unison with the latter during relative movements of the carriage with reference to the forked member.
 4. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the casing includes two jaws adapted to be separated for insertion of a clip therebetween and to be shifted back into cooperation for guiding the clip between the carriage and the forked member during the relative movements of the latter, said machine including furthermore at least cam surface adapted to shift the carriage with reference to the forked member after the jaws have returned into cooperation.
 5. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the casing includes two jaws adapted to be separated for insertion of a clip therebetween and to be shifted back into cooperation for guiding the clip between the carriage and the forked member during the relative movements of the latter, said machine including furthermore a centering member fitted inside one jaw and provided with sloping surfaces adapted to center the clips inside said jaw. 